Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba

Picnic at 5:30p Event at 6:30p Thurs, July 8th

“The U.S. Government Doesn’t Want You to Go to Cuba We say come with us to see for yourself.”

That is the motto of the Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan project which rolls through Portland on July 8th to raise money and collect material aid.

Many of us hoped that President Obama’s election would bring about some changes in many aspects of US policy — including the ending of the illegal, immoral, and internationally condemned US economic blockade against Cuba. The travel ban on US citizens visiting Cuba remains.

This cruel and immoral blockade has been in place almost 50 years, and has outlasted 10 US presidents. WE HAVE TO STEP UP THE PRESSURE to guarantee that it finally will end under the current president.

Join us on July 8th at 5:30pm for a picnic in the park at Washington High School at SE 12th and Stark. Bring a dish to share or $5 to contribute to the caravan. We will be joined by the NW caravanistas and members of Right 2 Survive, a local group organizing around issues affecting the unhoused hear in Portland. Right2Survive, a local houselessness advocacy organization, organized a direct action this May Day to take over the long-abandoned Washington High School. Check out our video of the event.

For dessert we’ll move to the Red and Black Cafe at 6:30pm for music and videos from Cuba and to discuss with the Caravanistas the hopeful example that Cuba offers for communities like ours in a time of need.

Caravan speaker:

Sandino Gomez is originally from Santa Cruz, California, where he attended local public schools including UCSC. He graduated in 2003 with a BA in Community Studies that focused on the history, current trends, and alternatives to the current corporate global economy. He studied abroad in Nicaragua shortly after September 11th 2001 where he (re)learned Spanish and worked with an organization helping street children for his full time field study while there as part of his major program. He has been a member of the Watsonville Brown Berets (www.brownberets.info) since the year 2000 For the past 7 years, he has hosted a weekly radio show on Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 fm (www.freakradio.org) focusing on music with a positive socially conscious message.

He currently works for the Santa Cruz Resource Center for Nonviolence (www.rcnv.org) as the Youth Empowerment Coordinator. The RCNV and Brown Berets have both supported the Cuba Caravan for years. Sandino first came on a caravan in 2006 and has been talking about Cuba ever since.